Smoke rises after Israeli strikes on the Syrian Defense Ministry in Damascus, according to Al Jazeera TV, in Damascus, Syria, July 16, 2025. (Credit: Khalil Ashawi/Reuters)
The Israeli strikes on Damascus, which on Wednesday specifically targeted the Syrian army headquarters, left three dead and 34 injured, according to a new toll from the Syrian Health Ministry.
The violent strikes destroyed a wing of a four-story building in the complex housing the army headquarters, adjacent to the Defense Ministry, AFP journalists observed.
The famous Umayyad Square, onto which the complex faces and which is usually crowded, was empty except for ambulances and military vehicles.
An earlier toll reported one dead and 18 injured.
The Israeli army also claimed to have struck a "military target" in the area of the presidential palace in Damascus.
Witnesses told AFP they heard an explosion in the area of the presidential palace in Damascus and then saw smoke rising from the zone.
Israel says it is carrying out these bombings to defend the Druze minority involved in deadly clashes in the Sweida region, in southern Syria.
Israeli leaders have announced they would step up strikes in Syria if Syrian forces do not withdraw from areas in the south of the country.
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